Tag Archives: strawberry

Sometimes the most interesting recipes come from trying to figure out what to do with leftovers from the day before… Two weeks ago, Bruce and I had a backyard barbecue at our home with family and friends. I love to entertaining guests but I don’t care for dealing with any kind of leftover fruit trays, appetizer platters or main dishes. After the last barbecue we had at our home, we had more than a boat load of fresh strawberries, melons and assorted fruit. After our guests left for the evening, I begrudgingly peeled the rinds off the melons, hulled the strawberries and tossed all the remaining bits of fruit in the freezer.

When freezing fresh fruit for use at a later date, be sure to place them single layer on a cookie sheet. Once the fruit is frozen, remove the fruit from the cookie sheet and toss in a releasable plastic bag. Curious as to why? The deal is, when you throw all the fruit in the plastic bag first, you end up with a big ball of frozen fruit that is all stuck together like a brick. It’s a pain to break apart and to deal with. Trust me. I learned that lesson the hard way. This cookie sheet technique makes the fruit not stick to each other in the freezer and makes it easy to grab a handful of fruit whenever you need it. Leftover frozen fruit chunks from fruit trays is great for smoothies, sorbets, and boozy little fruity concoctions such as my Straw-Ber-Ita Fruit Pops.

In addition to leftover fruit, I found myself with several cans of Straw-Ber-Ita’s floating around in the ice bucket the next day. Straw-Ber-Ita is a margarita-like alcoholic beverage made by Anheuser Busch. It has a refreshing strawberry lime flavor and is “supposed to” mimic the flavor of a strawberry margarita. Frankly, they remind me of those fruity little wine coolers that were so popular in the 1980’s. As an alcoholic beverage, they are a bit too sweet for my taste but they do work amazingly well in my Straw-Ber-Ita Fruit Pops.

My Straw-Ber-Ita Fruit Pops are super easy to make and taste great on a hot summer day. Enjoy! Tessa

*****Note: These fruit pops contain alcohol. Please enjoy these fruit pops responsibly. Do not serve Straw-Ber-Ita Fruit Pops to people under the legal drinking age and/or to children.*****

Toss all ingredients in a blender. Pulse until the fruit is broken down to fine bits. Pour mixture into frozen Popsicle molds. Add Popsicle sticks. Freeze until firm and serve. Makes about 10-12 frozen fruit pops.

I have a bad habit… Whenever Bruce and I have guests at our home, I tend to put out too much food. Our guests always go home happy and with their bellies full but, dealing with party leftovers can be a pain. Just like what happened over the past weekend. We had a pound of leftover strawberries sitting in a bowl on the counter after our brunch and there’s only two of us living in the home. Ugh! I can’t believe I thought it and even worse, I can’t even believe that I said it out loud. I bought way too many strawberries…

Strawberry Barbecue Sauce

I have learned over the years that sometimes you just need to get creative to use up the ingredients you have on hand. I personally like to use ingredients and flavor combinations in ways that most people would never think or even dream of. A great example is my sweet and tangy homemade Strawberry Barbecue Sauce with spicy ancho chili, sweet and sticky Indonesian soy sauce and my favorite soda, Dr Pepper. The flavor of my Strawberry Barbecue sauce is smoky, sweet and complex but on the other hand, it’s really easy to make.

Strawberry Barbecue Sauce

1 pound of strawberries (cleaned, hulled and quartered)

1 can Dr Pepper

1 cup tomato ketchup

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup Indonesian soy sauce

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar

1 tsp liquid smoke

1 tsp seasoning salt

1 tsp smoked paprika

1/2 tsp ancho chili powder (use more for a spicy kick)

1/2 tsp granulated garlic

1/2 tsp granulated onion

1/2 tsp black pepper or to taste

Add all ingredients to saucepan. Cook on medium low, stirring occasionally for about 45 minutes. Blend with hand blender to make the barbecue sauce smooth. Taste and correct your seasonings. Remove from heat and let cool. Makes about 3 cups. Any leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for about a week. Brush it on barbecue beef, chicken, or pork..

Now that the sauce is done… Let’s fire up the Q!

Strawberry Barbecue Chicken

6 pounds chicken (I like to use legs or thighs)

1 1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)

1 1/2 tsp fresh cracked black pepper (or to taste)

3 cups Strawberry Barbecue Sauce (or to taste)

Fire up your barbecue or grill pan. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Grill on medium high heat until juices run clear or about 15 minutes. Brush with sauce and cook a few minutes more… Serve chicken with sauce on the side. Makes about 12 servings. Enjoy! Tessa

Many people when they think of strawberries they conjure up images of sugar and spice and everything nice… I don’t. When I think of strawberries, I think of them as the sassy little bad girls of the fruit world. Of course strawberries are pretty and sweet however, they are feisty enough to stand up to hot and spicy flavors like nobody’s business. Strawberries are cool…

My Spicy Strawberry Salad is reminiscent of an Indonesian hot fruit salad also known as Rudjak Manis. My Spicy Strawberry Salad is made with fresh picked sweet juicy strawberries tossed with fiery sambal oelek, sweet Indonesian soy sauce, ginger, tamarind, and brown sugar. If you have wimpy friends, you can control the heat by adding less sambal oelek. Next time you pick or purchase a pound of fresh strawberries, try this easy to make exotic salad. Enjoy! Tessa

Ingredients:

1 pound fresh strawberries, washed, cored and sliced

2 tsp sambal oelek (chili pepper paste)

2 1/2 Tbs brown sugar

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp tamarind paste

2 Tbs water

In a bowl whisk together the sambal oelek, brown sugar, ginger, tamarind and water. Add the strawberries. Toss to coat and refrigerate for about an hour to let the flavors marry. Taste and correct your seasonings. If you don’t like it too hot, then use less sambal oelek. Makes 4 servings.